All of our partners - those we have worked with for years, those
who are joining forces with us for the first time, and those who
will join us in the months ahead - are essential to our momentum
as we contribute to the economic progress, quality of life and educational
advancement of our state.

At the University of Louisville, we see ourselves
as an active partner in every student's success. Students come to
us with intellectual curiosity and the willingness to challenge
themselves, and we provide the academic resources and support services
they need to achieve their goals. They don't do it alone, and we
don't do it for them. We do it together.

Likewise, the university itself relies on many partners to help
us thrive and give back to our community and state. One of the most
critical is the state itself.

U of L, like Kentucky's other public universities, was given a
distinct mission when legislators passed the state's higher education
reform act in 1997. We were to become "a premier, nationally
recognized metropolitan research university" as part of a "seamless,
integrated system of postsecondary education strategically planned
and adequately funded to enhance economic development and quality
of life."

Our partnership with the state commits that we will work to advance
life in the commonwealth through education and research; in turn,
the commonwealth will provide resources to help ensure that we are
positioned to do so. These resources have come in the form of state
funds that support education and facilities and help keep higher
education affordable for Kentucky residents.

An outgrowth of the state's commitment to higher education has
allowed us to add additional partners to help us achieve our goals.
The Research Challenge Trust Fund, or "Bucks for Brains,"
matches state dollars with private funds to attract and retain top
researchers and scholars to Kentucky. Thanks to Bucks for Brains,
we have joined forces with health care organizations, individuals
and foundations to leverage the state's investment.

The result is exciting new research in education, entrepreneurship,
cardiology, cancer and many other areas that already is translating
into benefits for citizens across the state. U of L Bucks for Brains
researchers are focusing on early identification of childhood learning
disabilities, exploring pediatric sleep disorders and diabetes,
promoting improved recovery from anesthesia and tolerance to organ
transplants, and much, much more-all due to partnerships.

Their work, in turn, brings additional federal and private research
dollars to Kentucky and is leading to marketable discoveries and
new businesses. This means new jobs and new economic development
opportunities for the commonwealth.

U of L also works in partnership with other state universities.
For example, our Center for Research in Mathematics and Science
Teacher Development is working with Northern Kentucky University
to help colleges and universities produce better-prepared math and
science teachers, thanks to yet another partnership with Kentucky
Sen. Mitch McConnell, who secured federal funding for the project.

And I can't omit our colleague research university, the University
of Kentucky, in a discussion of great partnerships. UK President
Lee Todd is enthusiastically supporting the growth of educational
and research partnerships with U of L. Of course, UK and U of L
will maintain a healthy rivalry when it comes to basketball, football
and other sports.

We have many business partnerships, as well, including state and
national companies that work with our Center for Engineering, Logistics
and Distribution to help improve product flow between businesses
and consumers. Metropolitan College, which provides students from
across the state with employment as well as tuition to pay for college,
is a nationally recognized public-private partnership between U
of L, Jefferson Community College and UPS, with support from the
state.

We are currently working with Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson
on ways we can assist our newly merged community, now the 16th largest
city in the country. We are having similar conversations with the
Jefferson County Public Schools about building upon an already productive
relationship that benefits both K-12 and higher education.

Beyond Louisville, we are working with school systems to prepare
teachers, training health care workers and emergency personnel across
through our Center for Deterrence of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism
(also funded through Sen. McConnell), protecting Kentucky's natural
resources through the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center, and
promoting literacy among children in both rural and urban areas.

And, of course, we are partners with our students, helping them
meet their goals in classrooms, laboratories and real world learning
environments that allow them to develop their skills and gain experience.
These students will become the state's leaders after they graduate
and will, in turn, be alumni partners in the university's future
success.

Partnerships are critically important to higher education, especially
when state funds are scarce during tough economic times. We are
hopeful that our legislators will remain committed to the higher
education partnership they established in 1997. At the same time,
we know we must be especially assertive reaching out to the many
organizations, public and private, that can share in our successes.

All of our partners - those we have worked with for years, those
who are joining forces with us for the first time, and those who
will join us in the months ahead - are essential to our momentum
as we contribute to the economic progress, quality of life and educational
advancement of our state. Like our students, we can't do it alone
and it can't be done for us. With partners, we can do it together.